26th Ward voters back limits on new Airbnbs, 74% to 26%. What it would take to turn that into a ban

Ald. Jessie Fuentes says she will draft legislation limiting new short-term rentals by precinct. The Council has passed 93 precinct bans this year, every one without a no vote, but none yet in her ward.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated Nov 5, 2026

Voters in the 26th Ward said yes, by about three to one, to limiting new short-term rentals such as Airbnb and Vrbo listings. With all but one precinct reporting Wednesday morning, the advisory question had 8,053 yes votes to 2,812 no, about 74%, according to Chicago Board of Elections figures reported by Block Club Chicago.

Why it matters: the question doesn't change any law by itself. But Ald. Jessie Fuentes (26th), who put it on the ballot, has said a yes vote would lead her to propose limits. The ward covers most of Humboldt Park and parts of Logan Square, Hermosa and Belmont Cragin, where rents and displacement have been a long-running concern.

This follows our Oct. 30 story on the question.

What Fuentes says comes next

"We would then subsequently draft legislation that would limit Airbnbs in the precincts," Fuentes told Block Club. Any limit would apply only to new rentals; existing licensed ones wouldn't be affected, Block Club reported.

Fuentes has cited a City licensing database showing 108 active Airbnb rentals in the ward, more than the average per ward. Airbnb told Block Club it accounts for about 1% of the ward's housing.

What our records add

The tool already exists. Chicago law lets the Council declare a precinct a "restricted residential zone," where no new shared housing units or vacation rentals can be licensed. As we reported last month, a precinct ban starts with a petition signed by 25% of the precinct's registered voters, according to Block Club.

How often the Council uses it. Our records show 93 restricted-zone ordinances with final action so far in 2026. All passed, and none drew a single no vote. The latest batch came Oct. 14, when the Council approved 22 precinct zones in the neighboring 31st Ward, sponsored by Ald. Felix Cardona Jr. (O2026-0028774 is one), and one in the 15th Ward from Ald. Raymond Lopez (O2026-0028923). Each passed 49 to 0.

How each ward voted

49 yea, 1 not voting · Oct 14, 2026 · Passed

Yea Nay Not voting

O2026-0028774: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

Other wards with zones approved this year include the 41st, 23rd and 29th. None is in the 26th Ward. Still pending: Ald. Marty Quinn's (13th) renewal of zones covering the 1st through 40th precincts of his ward, introduced Oct. 14 and sent to committee (O2026-0029469).

How the question got there. The Council adopted Fuentes's resolution putting the question on the ballot 49 to 0 in July (SR2025-0021045).

What the vote doesn't settle

Which precincts. Fuentes has said limits would apply by precinct. Block Club's results are for the ward as a whole, so precinct-level support will matter if she uses the petition route.
A wider rule. An ordinance covering the whole ward would be different from the precinct-by-precinct zones the Council has passed so far. Block Club has reported that a 2025 effort to make precinct bans easier stalled.
When. We found no new shared-housing ordinance from Fuentes in the Clerk's records Thursday morning.

What's next

Late November: the vote count becomes official, within 21 days of the election.
Committee on License and Consumer Protection: restricted-zone ordinances go there first; it next meets Nov. 17.
Dec. 8: the next regular Council meeting, when new ordinances can be introduced.

The 26th Ward page tracks Fuentes's legislation and votes.

Sources: Block Club Chicago: Referendum asks 26th Ward residents to weigh in on limiting new Airbnbs.